Hightstown council rescinds ordinance to rebuild Borough Hall

Hightstown Borough employees make due working out of what used to be the break room in the Public Works building. The employees moved their operations after floods caused them to vacate their regular office space. From left, Peggy Riggio admin asstant to clerk, Chad Reed fire inspector, Debra Sopronyi, purchasing agent, Brian Pickering garage mechanic, Janice Mohr-Kminek treasurer & Michele Balint treasury and finance. Michael Mancuso/The Times

HIGHTSTOWN — An ordinance that would have appropriated $3.4 million to rebuild the storm-damaged borough hall on its original Main Street site was rescinded last night by the Borough Council, thwarting residents’ efforts to force a November referendum on the issue, and leaving the town without a solution.

Since Hurricane Irene flooded borough hall two years ago, the town’s administrative staff is operating out of the break room of the town’s public works building, and the police department has been working from the former Lucas Electric building across town.

Mayor Steven Kirson, who said he supports rebuilding the borough hall, bringing it up to code and building it up off the ground, said the delays could bring more problems for the town.

“If we continue to waver, we’re going to run ourselves afoul here with the insurance companies,” Kirson said. “We need to move forward.”

In April, after months of debate, the council passed a resolution to set aside the $3.4 million, including $475,000 in bonds, to rebuild the hall.

The rest of the money was expected to come from federal government and insurance payments.

Critics of the ordinance believe rebuilding the borough hall at its original location is unwise because it is in a flood zone, according to FEMA’s floodplain maps, and will be susceptible to future water damage.

A committee of residents organized a petition that got 355 signatures, nearly double the amount needed, to force the town to put the issue to a public referendum. Organizers were angry last night.

“This is a political maneuver to take it off the ballot for the public to vote on,” petition organizer Gene Sarafin said. “Now they will have to come up with an alternative way to approach this, but I have no idea what these clowns will do.”

The original ordinance passed by a 5-1 vote, with councilwoman Susan Bluth voting against it. The vote to rescind it last night passed 4-2, with Bluth and Councilman Lawrence Quattrone voting against it.

“I was elected to represent the people of Hightstown,” Quattrone said. “The people who put me in office are telling me to vote no.”

“Let us do our job,” councilwoman Gail Doran said.

Amid the controversy surrounding the badly damaged borough hall, council members voted 4-2 to fire former Hightstown administrator Michael Theokas in May.

He became borough administrator in 2011 in the wake of Hurricane Irene, and residents speculated that some council members were frustrated by his role in the reconstruction project and his efforts to replace town hall.

Though they refused to disclose the reasons behind firing him, the four council members who voted to terminate him supported renovating the building, while the other two supported relocating the offices.

Theokas is currently the city administrator in Woodbury in Gloucester County.
“I am not sure how we are going to move forward,” councilman Robert Thibault said.
Contact Nicole Mulvaney at nmulvaney@njtimes.com.